SWANSEA CITY winger Brad Maylett, who hit a hat-trick yesterday, has blasted all the snipers who insist there's no life after Manchester United.

Maylett lines up for the Swans in Wednesday night's attractive Carling Cup first round clash at Bristol City - and it's yet another opportunity to rubbish the sceptics.

The Manchester-born flyer, still only 22, was a kid when he was hurled on the Old Trafford scrap heap just seven years ago.

But he admits that the gruelling United sessions under England World Cup 1966 legend Nobby Styles stiffened his resilience and earned him a second chance at Burnley.

He reflected: "When you go to a club like Manchester United you have to face some very hard facts very early. I trained as a nine-year-old with 70 other kids. Only about 20 were ever going to be offered a chance to proceed.

"I'd been going to United's Cliff training ground for six years, finishing at 15. I think Styles took to me because I'd come from the same St Patrick's school in Manchester as him. He used to spend time on me and showed a special interest.

"Luke Chadwick was in the same group as me. Lee Roach - now at Burnley - was there too, as was Danny Webber and Wes Brown.

"Sir Alex Ferguson never encouraged people to have airs and graces. We'd see lads like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes walking around the training ground on a regular basis - they weren't superstars, just ordinary guys. We were all at the Cliff then because Carrington hadn't been built."

Maylett eventually got the bad news from Fergie but his career was rescued at Turf Moor. "I was 16 and back on track. Chris Waddle offered me YTS terms before Stan Ternent took over."

Now he has moved on to the Swans and says: "There is a fantastic spirit here."